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brutcllysoft · 4 years

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post-negotiations ft. @devilwomcn

setting: march 2015, reina’s office.

ROWAN:

There is a pounding in the base of Rowan’s skull. She’s been sitting in three hours of contract negotiation and it’s clear that it’s taken it’s toll on her. Rowan’s been in this life since she was fifteen years old, catching her big break early into her teenage years and turning into an overnight sensation, her career skyrocketing higher than she ever could have believed before she was even eighteen years old. Her first year had been rocky, her mother standing in as both manager and mother but when she was sixteen Reina Savant made her appearance and it just feels like it’s been non-stop ever since then. In the best way, of course. Reina is single handedly responsible for making sure Rowan gets the absolute best version of every opportunity that has been thrown her way and even though they had started off rocky, they make a really, really good team. Though she’s hesitant to get completely on board with the latest idea the older woman has thrown at her.

Once upon a time she may have believed it to be a sneaky, double handed deal ---- something Reina would present as good for her, only later to reveal that it was actually going to hurt her now but have her thriving in the long run. But there is no denying that they’ve bonded over the last five years. How could they not? More often than not, they’re the only constant the other has. Reina’s always on the road with her, accompanying her to every inch of the world and fighting in her corner every step of the way. Rowan’s not sure she could ever put into words how much Reina has done for her, how much she feels like she owes her but she hopes she doesn’t have to. That Reina somehow just knows. The other party leaves the room and Rowan allows herself to slump in her chair, head lolling forward into her upturned hands, heels of her palms pressing against closed green eyes. “Tell me again that this is the right move,” she sighs quietly, looking again for a little reassurance. She looks up then, blinking away the array of colours in her vision from the pressure that had been there seconds earlier and her voice takes on a slightly sharper tone. “And why it had to be him of all people.”

REINA:

They’ve been sitting in a conference room all day it seems, going over the ins and outs of what Reina might call a deal with the Devil if she didn’t already claim that title for herself. It’s not exactly romantic, but then again a set up relationship filled with contract negotiations and a bunch of legal bullshit that Reina’s all too used to dealing with isn’t ever going to be considered the height of romance. She can tell Rowan’s just itching to make a run for it and to be fair, the older woman doesn’t really blame her. This isn’t what she signed up for, she should be able to just make music and do whatever the fuck she wants, but that isn’t the industry and Reina knows that all too well. Once they’re done and the lawyers are gone, she doesn’t miss the way Rowan immediately slumps in her chair, biting back a comment about good posture and how she’s going to start looking like shit in interviews if she keeps that up. Instead she grants the blonde her moment of distress, for once understanding how overwhelming this all must be.

Rowan’s quiet request for reassurance puts something in the pit of Reina’s stomach that she can’t quite place — maybe it’s guilt for pushing this, which is something she’s never felt before about a deal, or maybe she’s just afraid it is the wrong move and she’s setting Rowan up for failure — but either way, she knows better than to display anything but confidence when she answers. “It’s the right move,” she affirms, reaching out to squeeze Rowan’s shoulder lightly before retracting her hand like she’s just been burned. “You’re too goody-two shoes — too cookie cutter. Obviously you’re doing well but it wouldn’t hurt to expand your fanbase to people who don’t shit sunshine and daisies.” Which isn’t her entire fanbase, and of course Reina knows that, but it’s a pretty big chunk of it and if they ever want to move away from the Country Girl Barbie act, it’s going to be pretty damn hard to do without this publicity stunt and the kid that comes with it. Andrew Thane may be a nightmare in the press, but on paper he’s exactly the edge Rowan needs. “Trust me, I’m not all that thrilled about this match either, but we have an image in mind and he fits it. It’s just two years, Ro. In and out. Y’all don’t even have to see each other except in public.”

ROWAN:

Somehow even with Reina's reassurance, Rowan can't help but feel like this is a bad idea. Usually all it takes is one word from Reina and Rowan is all in. She's never lead her astray before, always proven to have her back and is the one person that Rowan can count on her being in her corner no matter what. So it would be easy to just lean into that reassurance and run with it --- she wants to. But Rowan is, at her core, a hopeless romantic. It's something the media has ripped into her about before, as if the string of boys she has dated is any longer than that of her male counterparts. The idea of devoting two years of her life to something fake and with Andrew Thane makes her feel like her skin is too tight. The fact that she'll be wasting some of the best parts of herself--- that big heart of hers that is so often getting her in trouble -- on something that isn't even real is a hard pill to swallow.

"Okay." She simply nods at Reina's reassurance, sighing and raking a hand through blonde locks. Reina's next words pull a laugh from her, a sound that's equally tired and full somehow; bordering right on the edge of being forced and genuine. "You don't think the teenage girl market is a good one anymore?" The reality is, the majority of her fan base a girls between the ages of 9 and 19 right now and while they're great -- she loves all of her fans, owes her success to them of course, but they've also all got parents willing to shell out big bucks with just a bat of their eyelashes -- she can't deny that it would be nice to appeal to an older, more mature audience as well. Maybe it would help the industry treat her more seriously. "Two years is a long time," she points out with a tilt of her head. It's not that long in the big picture and she knows that there is a possibility of it flying by in a blink. "How badly are we going to get sued if we have to pull the plug early?"

REINA:

Even though the laugh that comes from Rowan isn’t quite genuine, it’s nice to hear nonetheless, and Reina’s relieved that despite her hesitation she’s not completely ill at ease with all of this. “Well it depends, are you hoping to make a deal with the Disney Channel any time soon? Because if not, I’d say it’s time we move on,” she jokes, because obviously she already knows Rowan’s got zero interest in that. She’s entering her twenties and it’s about that time when she’s still seen as a kid but should be treated like an adult, and Reina knows Rowan wants to be taken seriously as a musician rather than catering to a young demographic for her entire career. It’s best to move forward now while they can, and in Reina’s mind there’s no better way for her to do that than being associated with Andy Thane and his chronic inability to seem even remotely innocent.

The more Reina thinks about it, the more she’s convinced this move is right — but once glance at Rowan tells her the blonde isn’t quite there yet. She knows Rowan’s got a big heart and a lot of love to give, and the last thing Reina wants is for her to somehow get hurt from this, but she’s fairly certain that won’t be a problem with a jackass like Andy in the picture. If anything, she thinks an issue might come from how much Rowan dislikes him. “It isn’t so long. Just one album,” she counters, giving Rowan a nudge with her foot in return. The legal part of this deal has Reina cringing a little, though, and while she told herself early on that she’d never lie to Rowan, she doesn’t exactly want to tell her the full truth. “Badly enough that I think you’d much rather just stick the two years out.” Truthfully, Reina can’t imagine Chris pushing Andy to actually sue them, but she does think his label would and they’d at minimum be suing for any money he would have made from being in the tabloids with Ro — which is a lot, and another big reason Reina’s so adamant on doing this as well. “Think of it this way — when it’s all over, you can buy a nicer house up in the mountains and I’ll even let you tell the paps to fuck off whenever you feel like it. Perks of your new bad girl image, hm?”

ROWAN:

Reina’s joke lands where Rowan needs it to, and the laugh that follows though quiet is much more real. “I think we missed the boat on Disney. We should’ve cashed in on it a few years ago.” Though that has obviously never been part of their plan --- she’s had friends make a deal with that particular Devil and it isn’t something she has any interest in doing. Maybe six years ago before she’d gotten her big break -- there’s no denying that Disney is one hell of a way to break into the industry -- but not anymore. Reina’s gotten her better deals than any cartoon mouse ever could, and she doesn’t have to compromise who she is. At least, not entirely. Sure, she’s had to play up the small town southern girl act for the last few years, but it hadn’t always been an act. When she’d first been signed it was just who she was and now that she’s begun to evolve out of that and is looking to spread her wings and be taken more seriously and make moves in other directions, Reina is right there to make it happen ---- even if it’s happening in a way Rowan doesn’t fully understand.

Admittedly, when the idea of a fake relationship had been brought up, she had been completely against it. Rowan isn’t stupid and she knows herself --- she knows she sometimes jumps too soon, dives too deep and it’s gotten her burned in the past. Not to mention the media scrutiny it has landed her on more than one occasion. But as soon as Reina told her it would be with Andy Thane she knew that she’d be safe --- after just one interaction, she knows she can’t stand him and the possibility of actually falling for him is laughable. So between that and the airtight contract they’ve got laid out -- she tells herself it’s important to keep it professional, that the boundaries being on paper will make it impossible for her to cross them if she somehow ends up with a brain bleed and finds herself attracted to the man in question -- they’ll be pretty safe. But she’s still not thrilled about having to spend time with him and honestly, she’s worried. His reputation isn’t a good one and while she tries to see all of this from Reina’s perspective, to see that it will be good for them both she can’t help but worry being with someone like him is going to turn her already existing fan base against her.

She nods when Reina mentions waiting it out, knowing she wouldn’t put herself or her manager and legal team through that kind of battle over a measly two years. She’s resilient and she can wait it out. And honestly, the mention of a new house in the mountains does make it sound a little more worth it. “You might never see me again then,” she teases, only partly joking. Obviously she’d never just up and disappear but there’s no denying she’s more comfortable when she’s out of the hustle and bustle of the city most days, finding comfort in the quiet and being around nature. Not to mention it’s nice to not have to worry about some idiot with a camera hiding outside her front gate. Which brings her to her next point, accentuated by a loud laugh. “I’m going to remind you that you told me that two years from now when you’re telling me I need to watch my mouth more.” While her squeaky clean image has her refraining from cussing, there’s no denying behind closed doors she has a potty mouth.

REINA:

Reina can see that even just in the last few minutes, Rowan’s easing up just slightly. She knows her girl like the back of her hand and where her body language was once tense and anxious, she’s now loosened up a little and that’s enough to put Reina’s mind at ease. The older woman understands Rowan’s uncertainty when it comes to this deal, these are unchartered waters they’re entering but Reina is going to do everything in her power to make sure the next two years go by as smoothly as possible without a single hitch. It’s time that Rowan steps out as more than just the girl next door, and Reina can’t think of a faster way to get her there than to have the world think she’s shacking up with America’s Most Wanted. There’s a part of Reina that secretly hopes Andy’s image is almost as cultivated as Rowan’s, though — that he isn’t as much of an asshole as everyone says, because not only does she not want Rowan getting hurt, she doesn’t want Rowan falling down the path he seems to be going down. She’s a good kid, always has been, but the temptation to become a Lindsay Lohan or a Paris Hilton has never really been there until now, and Reina can only hope that Rowan’s got a good enough head on her shoulders to avoid a mess like that.

Although she’s kidding, Rowan’s warning that she may disappear to the mountains and never come back makes Reina tsk, the disapproval of that plan evidently clear. Rowan loves what she does too much to ever do something like that, though, so she’s not actually all that worried. “A few fucks here and there might do you good, so I’ll let it slide.” Really, it’s a miracle in itself that Rowan’s never been caught swearing too badly because she’s got a mouth on her that rivals Reina’s own, and maybe that’d do her some good with the image reconstruction they’re going for. Checking her watch, Reina realizes she’s got another meeting coming up and Rowan’s got her own schedule to adhere to, but they’re not done here just yet and she’ll gladly push everything back if Rowan still needs to talk out her anxiety before they move forward. She shifts the papers scattered on the table before them into a neat pile, clearing her throat as she laces her hands together on top of them and fixes Rowan with a serious look. “I’m only going to tell you this once because it’s an absolute last resort, but if something happens and you do want to pull the plug, I’ll figure it out. I don’t want you stuck in this if you’re miserable, that’s not going to help anyone.” Not only will Rowan probably not be able to pull out a great album if she’s in a bad place, but it’ll fuck with her for the rest of her life and that’s exactly what Reina wants to avoid.

ROWAN:

Reina’s disapproval is apparent, but Rowan lets it roll off of her back. Normally she’s one who takes any criticism to heart, maybe sometimes a little too personally. But seeing as this is a result of something she’d said in jest --- something she would never in a million years do, she isn’t very worried. Years ago she never thought she’d find herself in a position like this. She’d been sixteen when she moved in with Reina and they began their business arrangement, and she thought that was all it was ever going to be. They’d been awkward at first, with Rowan tiptoeing around the Nashville home in an attempt to stay out of the brunette’s way so she didn’t end up on the first flight back to Montana. And now Reina has come to be a presence that seems to automatically put her at ease, even in a situation as confusing and nerve wracking as this one. She doesn’t miss the way Reina checks her watch, though, and she does the same in return. Honestly her day is fairly laxed -- she’s got an interview in the morning and so today they aren’t doing much, but she knows Reina almost never has an easy day and she doesn’t want to keep her manager from taking care of her business just because she’s nervous. She’s a big girl, despite public opinion, she can ride this out and figure it out without needing someone to hold her hand the entire time. “Nothing is going to happen,” she frowns when Reina gives her that serious look, letting her know they can always pull the plug if she needs it.

“We’ll figure it out. I’m not worried.” Which is maybe the biggest lie she’s told in a while because she is very worried, but she doesn’t want to go down that road right now. Instead she clears her throat and moves to push her chair back. “I should get outta here before your next client shows up and starts complainin’ about you going over time with me.” There have been rumors about favouritism before and honestly, who else has Reina ever let into her home the way she has Rowan? But she doesn’t want to make waves at the office. "I'll see you tomorrow, right? Have a good night. Try not to make too many people cry today," she teases gently, giving one last smile.

#am movin tngs over (:#v: nashville.#nash: reina.#nash: reina 002

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